Pelvic exams on unconscious patients and creating an administrative rule related to hospital requirements for pelvic exams on unconscious patients, the official text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-0048/1
KMS:emw

2025 SENATE BILL 14
February 3, 2025 - Introduced by Senators Jacque, Carpenter, Habush Sinykin, Hesselbein, L. Johnson, Keyeski, Ratcliff, Spreitzer and Larson, cosponsored by Representatives Goeben, Subeck, Allen, Anderson, Behnke, Brill, Brooks, Dittrich, Kirsch, Knodl, Maxey, Murphy, Mursau, Neylon, Rodriguez, Tusler and Wichgers. Referred to Committee on Health.

An Act to create 50.373 of the statutes; relating to: pelvic exams on unconscious patients and creating an administrative rule related to hospital requirements for pelvic exams on unconscious patients.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires hospitals to ensure written informed consent is obtained from a patient before a pelvic exam is performed solely for educational purposes on the patient while the patient is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious. The bill also creates a Department of Health Services rule providing that hospitals must maintain written policies and procedures requiring written informed consent to be obtained from a patient before a pelvic exam is performed solely for educational purposes on the patient while the patient is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. 50.373 of the statutes is created to read:
50.373 Informed consent for pelvic examinations. A hospital shall
ensure that, before a pelvic examination is performed solely for educational purposes on a patient while the patient is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious, written informed consent is obtained from the patient.
Section 2. DHS 124.10 of the administrative code is created to read:
DHS 124.10 Consent policy for pelvic examinations performed for educational purposes. A hospital shall maintain written policies and procedures requiring written informed consent to be obtained from a patient before a pelvic examination is performed solely for educational purposes on the patient while the patient is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious.
Section 3. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication, except as follows:
(1) The creation of s. DHS 124.10, Wis. Adm. Code, takes effect as provided in s. 227.265.
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